You and the World Blog#2:Animal Abuse and Neglect

Posted by Lauren Hummel in English 1 - Dunn on

Welcome to part 2 of my 3 part blog. If you read my first blog post , you already know that the topic I chose to raise awareness is animal abuse and neglect. Just in case though, this is all for my ‘You and The World Project’ I am doing for English class. We choose a topic that we feel strongly about and gather data on the topic that we then formulate into a blog that is posted to the Science Leadership Academy site. By the end of the school year, my classmates and I will have gathered information from various sources, created and obtained our own research, and have done or made something to help combat the topic we chose. For the second part of my blog I have interviewed Denise Digovanni-Segal, a true animal lover. She owns ferrets, birds and 5 dogs, 3 of which have been neglected or abused.
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Denise's 5 dogs are named Josie, Domino, Toni, Joey and Frankie. I asked Denise if any of her dogs were abused or neglected in some way and she told me that Josie, Domino and Toni were. Josie, a pit bull, was saved from the kill list at the shelter and is very needy and possessive and often “wakes out of sleep, fighting.” But Denise makes sure that Josie gets individual attention and takes the extra time to calm her down when needed.

Next is Domino, who is also a pit bull who appeared to have had a little bit of a harder time. His old father took him to her office since he could not take him to his new home. He also “always raised his cane at him” and as a result, Denise welcomed Domino into her home with open arms. “The first night was awful and we almost called the guy to say it was not working. “After he was neutered, he did not settle down but the torment to my girls did,” Denise said. He is also so terrified of hollering that whenever someone does holler, he cowers behind her. Domino needed a subdued environment where he does not feel threatened by his owners, and Denise's home provided that.

Finally, is Toni, a Shepard mix who was named after her dad. She acquired Toni from someone’s front yard where “she was out in all weather tied to a tree” and then moved to the front yard on a short leash after she dug holes in the backyard. She and her partner “went on a dog napping caper” to save her since Denise had seen the dog everyday while taking her son to school. When she first brought her home, Toni had never seen stairs before. As a result, Denise had to carry her up and down the stairs in the house and even to get to the car so that Denise could get her to the vet . Also, when Toni saw herself in the mirror, she would pee all over even while Denise was still holding her. Toni also dislikes men especially when they are wearing hats;  so much so that Denise, “had to make my father in law remove his baseball cap before he entered the house.” However, with lots of love and attention, Toni is much better now.

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A. Josie B. Toni (healing from a hematoma) C. Domino
Denise doesn't regret getting any of her dogs. For Toni, "the only regret is not taking her sooner.” She also has some advice for people who are thinking of adopting abused or neglected animals. “No screaming or hitting ever. Patience is key. Know what you are getting into and be prepared. They are not perfect.” 

In recent news on this topic, PETA wages war on Pokémon for virtual animal cruelty. PETA says, ‘"The amount of time that Pokemon spend stuffed in pokeballs is akin to how elephants are chained up in train carts, waiting to be let out to 'perform' in circuses."’ They are so upset about it that they have made a ‘spoof’ Pokémon game called Pokémon: Black and Blue. In the game, the characters fight their trainers for freedom by using attacks such as group hugs, protests, quick attack and thundershock. This is not the first, and most likely not the last time that PETA will be “taking jabs at video games.”

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There has also recently been a new program called New Leash on Life  It is a program for inmates that allows them the opportunity to become a certified dog trainer. This story was just on the 6abc News on January 9, 2013. The people who trained the animals really grow a connection with them along with a new skill set that will help them with their lives when they are released from prison. One man even said that he is sad that he is leaving but that he is really proud of how far that he has come. One of the graduate dogs was Peanut Chew who was found malnourished in a Philadelphia home’s basement. He was in the program for 8 weeks and now he is ready for adoption by a family that will hopefully love him.
I still believe that animal abuse and neglect is wrong and that something serious needs to be done about it to help rectify this. I wonder why some people think hurting an animals in any way, shape or form is ok. People need to know the responsibilities that come with having  a four-legged friend. I hope that shelters and other places that offer animals can help people to understand more clearly what is necessary for animals and their well-being. I hope that I will soon have the opportunity to help animals that are in these shelters to have a better experience in shelters. It should also allow them to become happier animals through the help that I want and plan on providing them. 

Here is my bibliography.​

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